


Synchronicity

by fresh96



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: And then this happened, Canon Divergent, Future AU, M/M, and then i thought what if something throws off that sync, i was just thinking about how in sync seventeen are when they perform, im not really sure what this is, uh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-12
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-30 22:49:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10886544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fresh96/pseuds/fresh96
Summary: Synchronicitynoun1. simultaneous action, development, or occurrence.





	Synchronicity

Seungcheol could tell you off the top of his head exactly when and where things had started to go wrong. He and Jeonghan had been sitting in the Music Core green room, waiting to go on stage and perform their latest comeback; the other members had been off playing pranks on each other or visiting with other groups. They all still lived in the dorms together (though there had been talk lately of splitting off into groups and separate apartments), so alone time was a pretty hot commodity for the two. And they were making the most of it. Not anything lewd of course, both of them drew the line at public sex, but snuggling with your significant other while alone was vastly different than snuggling with your significant other with 11 other people in close quarters. 

So they had sat, and snuggled, on a couch in the green room while waiting for a performance. Personally, Seungcheol had found the moment of peace very grounding, but if memory served (and it did) Jeonghan had not. Nothing spectacularly bad had happened, but he could practically feel the stress and discomfort radiating off of Jeonghan. Maybe his mistake had been in not mentioning it, but at the time Seungcheol had decided that holding the younger man tighter was the best course of action. Nothing could be done to fix it now, but Seungcheol regretted it anyway. 

After that there were several less memorable instances where Jeonghan had snapped at him or brushed him off without a word. The whole group knew that Jeonghan got like this from time to time (not that he had told anyone why exactly), so at first Seungcheol dismissed the actions and continued on - business as usual. As the incidents got more and more frequent, however, Seungcheol began to take notice. He noticed that Jeonghan pointedly looked away when he entered the room. He noticed that any choreography that put the pair close together always seemed off. He noticed that Jeonghan had taken to spending most nights with Joshua and Vernon. And, most of all, Seungcheol noticed that he was the only member getting this treatment. 

When he finally confronted Jeonghan, after almost a month, the explosion that occurred was almost inevitable. Seungcheol was feeling hurt and neglected, and Jeonghan was feeling… whatever Jeonghan was feeling. Again, maybe it was Seungcheol’s fault for letting things go on for that long before trying to talk to his boyfriend about it, but he honestly hadn’t known how to handle the situation. Even in their early days as rookies, Jeonghan had been Seungcheol’s closest confidant; he had gone to Jeonghan for advice on just about everything that was bothering him. Sometimes Jeonghan’s ‘advice’ was less than helpful, but just talking to him made Seungcheol feel more secure in his decisions. In this case, of course, talking about the issue with Jeonghan was impossible because Jeonghan was the issue. That simple fact alone had Seungcheol wound up tighter than he had ever had been before. When he had snapped at Soonyoung during a dance practice for an M-Net special stage, Seungcheol knew things had gone too far. 

So, it blew up. Seungcheol had practically screamed his concerns at Jeonghan, and Jeonghan had dished it right back. The fight had left a foul taste in Seungcheol’s mouth and had the whole group on edge for days afterward, each of them treading carefully around their two eldest members and leaders. Joshua had tried to talk to them both (well, Joshua had tried to talk to Seungcheol at least, so he assumed that the younger had tried talking to Jeonghan too), but hadn’t gotten anywhere beyond a pointed look and sigh. Neither of them had said they wanted to break up, but the implication hung heavy in the air around Seungcheol and it made him want to bury his head in the sand (or Jeonghan’s chest, as it were) and pretend none of this nastiness had ever happened. 

That had been almost six months ago. After a brief and terse discussion with the CEO, the 13 member group had decided it was best to go on a hiatus for the time being, and in the time since, the younger members had branched out into other forms of entertainment. Immediately following the verdict, everyone had vacated the dorms and moved out into nicer, more spacious, and less populated apartments. Joshua spent a lot of time back home in LA, since the group wasn't constantly promoting, Wonwoo, Seungkwan and Soonyoung were all variety show regulars, Mingyu modeled (mostly) and had also filmed a drama to be aired later in the year, Jun and Minghao were mentoring Chinese trainees from a variety of labels, Hansol and Jihoon were both producing music (though not often together), Chan was choreographing for a new rookie group, and Seokmin was acting. As for Jeonghan, Seungcheol didn't know. He hadn't asked about his (ex?) boyfriend, and the other members didn't readily offer up any information to him. There had been a time when Jeonghan’s lack of presence in his life would've cut deeper than any knife would have dared, but now… Seungcheol just felt tired. 

Seungcheol was tired. There was an ache in his bones that he hadn't noticed before, a weariness to the way he rose from bed every morning. He was tired of being tired and he was tired of being alone. Everything seemed out of sync. He tried to make the best of their ‘hiatus’ (Seungcheol’s conscience hated that word. It knew that a hiatus of any length for a band their age almost certainly meant disbandment. He wasn't ready to admit that that was what this was, but he knew) by writing songs, or making beats, anything to keep his mind busy, but it wasn't working. Every word he wrote felt disingenuous. Every note he sang sounded rough and discordant. And he was tired of it. So fucking tired of it. 

——————————

The catalyst came 8 months to the day, almost to the hour, since Seventeen had announced their hiatus. For weeks, Seungcheol had considered calling Jeonghan. At first, he could only dial the number before helplessness overtook him and he exited the app and threw his phone to the opposite corner of the room. Eventually, he could dial, press call and let it ring for one whole ring before he chickened out and shut his phone off. Seungcheol was sure that Jeonghan’s phone was receiving the calls, but, mercifully, Jeonghan never responded. It wasn't that Seungcheol didn’t want to hear his voice… God, he wanted that more than anything… but he didn't know how to act with the younger man now. Should he apologize? Should he pretend like nothing had happened? Should he laugh it off? Nothing seemed right. 

The catalyst was a single rose left on his doorstep after another day of fruitless writing. It was just a rose, red, stem peeled free of any thorns. There was no letter explaining who it was from, and definitely no person hiding just out of sight to see Seungcheol’s reaction. It was just a rose. The next day it was a half-dozen roses, this time in a tall, elegant vase. These were unpeeled, leafy and thorny in all their intended glory. Still no note, and still definitely no one hiding just inside Seungcheol’s neighbor's doorway. Seungcheol assumed they were from Mingyu, who had taken to treating Seungcheol to gifts within the last few months, hoping to lighten the leader’s spirits. They had been pretty much worthless trinkets at first, but had recently escalated to very nice sweaters and cozy hats. Seungcheol assumed that this was just Mingyu’s next escalation. 

The next day was 2 dozen roses, unpeeled, in three paper-wrapped bouquets. Nothing was particularly different or more spectacular about them, aside from the increase in quantity. When Seungcheol grabbed them from his doorstep to whisk them inside, however, a thin piece of paper fluttered to the ground, landing just above the ‘e’ on his ‘Welcome’ mat. Seungcheol stared at it, eyes wide and uncertain. The roses in his arms were all but forgotten, cascading over his fingertips and littering the entryway with vermillion petals. For a moment, Seungcheol could have sworn time even stopped. On the piece of paper was just one letter. One little bitty letter. The letter J, signed by hand, with the swoosh of the tail elegantly wrapping around itself in a way that Seungcheol was more familiar with than his own signature. These roses, he thought, still half stunned into paralysis, are not from Mingyu. 

After that, things happened very rapidly. One day, Seungcheol is standing in the entryway to his apartment, trying to figure out what to do with the knowledge that Jeonghan, the Jeonghan he hadn’t spoken to for the better part of a year, was sending him dozens of roses, and the next he's getting a call from the Pledis CEO ‘letting him know’ that Seventeen’s hiatus is over and promotions for their next single would begin as soon as all the boys gathered to finish the song. Just like that, Seungcheol is back at the practice building sitting with Jihoon while he produces their next album, discussing choreography with Soonyoung and Chan, recording music… It almost felt like everything had gone back to how it was before. There was still something in the air, but if Seungcheol squinted his eyes just right, he could almost imagine they were the ‘Monster Rookies’ again. Almost. 

He knew they would have to talk about it eventually. Honestly, Seungcheol’s mind was still reeling from the rose fiasco, so he wasn't sure what approach would be best, and, if he was being even more honest, he was afraid. 8 months was a long time to go without communicating with your best friend, especially when the last communication you did have was an explosive fight that had almost ruined the group (and still could). He was a different person than the one he was 8 months ago, and part of him knew Jeonghan was too. When he asked around about what approach would be best, the members gave him their best impression of himself sulking, and sent him on his way. He got a tight lipped smile out of Joshua, which he decided to take as a good sign, but that was that. 

Luckily, Seungcheol didn't have to make the first move. Jeonghan took that roll. One night after a long dance practice, as Seungcheol staggered tiredly in the direction of his apartment, Jeonghan was just… there. 

“I’m closer.” His voice was muted by the cold, thick air around them, and left Seungcheol with the same pleasant feeling of quietness you get after the first snow of the year. So Seungcheol nodded, and muttered an okay, and Jeonghan steered him to the left, through an alley and into an old building that looked like it belonged anywhere but Seoul. His apartment was at the top. Inside, it smelled like dust and laundry detergent. The walls were painted from floor to ceiling (by hand, seungcheol thought) in intricate patterns and florals.

“My therapist,” Jeonghan cleared his throat behind Seungcheol, gesturing to the wall to his left “thought I needed an outlet.” 

Seungcheol must have looked very confused, because Jeonghan smiled, a little sadly. “We can talk tomorrow. I’ll get you some pillows and blankets. The couch pulls out into a bed.” So Seungcheol pulled out the couch-bed and slept, surrounded by hundreds of swirling galaxies, all painted by the man snoring softly from the other room. 

The next morning was a harsh reality. Without exhaustion to cloud his judgement, Seungcheol woke already fretting about whether or not staying the night here had been a good idea. It was early, and his muscles ached from their practice the night before, and, more than anything, Seungcheol desperately needed a coffee. 

“I made you a cup of coffee.” Jeonghan’s voice trickled over Seungcheol’s ears like a cool mountain stream, and Seungcheol was a man who had been without water for a long time. 

“Thanks.” In comparison, Seungcheol’s voice was harsh and raspy, like the sharp cliff faces jutting off of wind eroded mountains. He took a sip of the coffee and sighed. “So..”

“Mm.” Jeonghan replied. “I started seeing a therapist. Not for anything in particular really. I was feeling a lot of things that I can’t really explain. I felt overworked and under-appreciated, neither of which was true, but I still felt it. And through a lot of, mainly my therapist’s, hard work, I realized that how I treated you was… unacceptable. I am truly sorry.” 

Seungcheol sat back in his chair, hands tight around his mug, considering. It was overwhelming to not only be talking with Jeonghan again after so long, but for this to be their first conversation. He thought maybe their first interactions after the hiatus would have been like the early days of them dating; shy and restrained with a touch of tension to add pizzazz. It had been hard enough for him to be suffering and hurting this whole time, but to know that Jeonghan had been suffering too, long before he had been... That made Seungcheol feel like shit.

"What did the, um, therapist say?" Seungcheol asked, a little hesitantly.

"You mean like, was I diagnosed?" Seungcheol nodded. "Yeah. I was actually. Depression. I was manifesting it as anger for whatever reason so, you know... painting."

Seungcheol nodded again and took a sip from his coffee. "I think I need to apologize too." He started, eyeing Jeonghan when the other man made a move to speak. "I should have asked you what was bothering you sooner and tried to support you instead of isolating you even more. I'm so sorry."

Jeonghan slid his hand across the counter-top, grabbing one of Seungcheol’s hands away from his mug. “We obviously were both complete disasters but I think we've matured a lot since then.”

"That was 8 months ago, Jeonghan."

"Exactly. Eight months is a long time. I'm like a practically new person."

Seungcheol grinned into his cup. "The kind of person that sends someone 24 flowers instead of knocking on their door and then ambushes them after practice?"

"Yeah that kind." Jeonghan smiled back.

And just like that, Seungcheol felt a weight he didn't know he had been carrying lift off his shoulders. He smiled, a little wildly, at Jeonghan and together they walked back to the practice building, not hand-in-hand, but close enough. Their arms swung at the same time, their feet kept pace with the other’s, their mouths both scrambling over the words they had waited eight months to tell each other. Seungcheol laughed. For the first time in a long time, everything seemed in sync.

**Author's Note:**

> This literally came to me while watching a video compilation of seventeen being in sync. I don't know if I like how it turned out but I'm nothing if not obnoxious so you all get to see it anyway. I'm sorry about barely mentioning the other members at all, I really wanted to add a "Mingyu gives Coups a pep talk" scene but I couldn't make it fit with the tone or style so I scrapped it. Just know that they were all frustrated. ALSO, I'm sorry its so short. I personally don't read anything under 10k words so... Sorry. 
> 
> Whether Seungcheol and Jeonghan get back together is your choice. I did my part.
> 
> Edit: hey its me again. the ending was straight up Garbage and I'm embarrassed to have written it so... i changed it xoxo.


End file.
